DIY Bug Repellent

Itâ€™s summertime!Â That means we are spending hours upon hours doing everything under the sunâ€¦literally!Â If youâ€™ve been outdoors, youâ€™ve probably been pestered by those little vampires we know as mosquitoes.Â If youâ€™re like me, youâ€™re not too fond of spraying yourself down with all sorts of chemicals that ultimately make you stink and sticky at the same time.Â Thatâ€™s a great way to ruin your outdoor fun!Â So, Iâ€™m going to show you how to repel those nasty biting critters without coating yourself in layers of chemical slick.

Making a chemical free bug repellent is very simple.Â The first step is to fill your spray bottle almost full with purified water or witch hazel.

You want to make sure you dilute your essential oils!Â Some oils can irritate the skin if undiluted!Â Now, add 20 drops of your combined essential oils, shake it up, and spray onto your skin and clothing.

The combination with the best (longest lasting) effect is lemon and eucalyptus.Â However, any other combination will work; you will just need to reapply more often.

If you are not interested in accumulating a bunch of essential oils you might not use again, you can buy a premixed blend of bug repelling essential oils like Plant Therapyâ€™s Bug-Off synergy blend.Â Itâ€™s easy to find on Amazon.

Your next option is probably as close as your pantry door; vanilla extract!Â Believe it or not, that heavenly vanilla scent is something that mosquitoes despise!Â You can simply place a drop or two of the extract onto a cotton ball and rub on your â€œhot spotsâ€ (neck, behind the knees, and on the wrist).

Just be sure that your vanilla essence is sugar-free (if it has sugar, it defeats the purpose and attracts rather than repels) and be sure you donâ€™t have an allergy to the vanilla!Â If youâ€™re not sure if youâ€™re allergic to vanilla, do a simple patch test (placing a tiny drop in one spot for at least 30 minutes) to see if you have any reaction.Â If you donâ€™t, youâ€™re good to go!

Thatâ€™s it! Now youâ€™re prepared to head outdoors and guard yourself and your family against bug bites in the most natural way possible!

Thanks for reading!Â Be sure to share, tweet, like, and pin this post! 🙂

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